Course Objectives

By attending this course, you will learn best practices in crisis communication management, situation analysis, risk assessment, crisis team formation and responsibilities, protocols, and resources to be used such as crisis manuals and communication tools.

By the end of the course, participants will be able to:

• Identify the different types of crises and their aspects
• List the various principles of crisis communication
• Devise crisis management processes aimed at mitigating potential crises in their organizations
• Demonstrate the benefits of using the media in a crisis situation
• Evaluate and prioritize the dimensions involved in crisis communication management
• Analyze and interpret results achieved through crisis communication management
• Develop complex and sophisticated communication strategies
• Identify how, where and when to engage in the policy and legislative process
• Engage with the media strategically at a top editorial level
• Analyze the roles and functions of an ideal communication department
• Create policies, procedures, materials and resources to facilitate the efficient running of your own communication department
• Create crisis messages, positioning and response tactics response rapidly and decisively
• Engage confidently with journalists and in online social media
• Represent your organization effectively even in the most challenging of crisis interviews

Content

• Introduction
  • Definition of a crisis
  • Overview of communication
  • Various types of crises
  • Key aspects of a crisis
  • Evolution of a crisis
• Internal communications

• • How to plan, design and deploy communications campaigns
  • Internal tools and tactics
  • Case studies of successful internal engagement
  • Recognition and reward
  • Communicating corporate values
  • Change management
  • Employee motivation and engagement
  • Overcoming common pitfalls

• Advanced communications and PR management

• • Best practice in designing and managing communication departments and directing major PR campaigns.
  • Managing a strategic PR department: best practice in running a PR function, from the perspective of communication managers and directors
  • Policies, processes, materials and resources: how to design operational systems based on best practice
  • Advanced communication program management: how to lead and manage high-profile PR and communications programs that deliver results against communication strategies
  • Campaign budgeting and financial management: how to plan and mange budgets for communication departments and campaigns

• Principles of crisis communications
  • Setting your clear objective
  • Responding quickly
  • Accepting responsibility
  • Appropriate messaging
  • Profiling your audience
  • Showing and maintaining credibility
  • Coordinating with others
  • Continuous monitoring
• Crisis management process
  • Pre-crisis phase
    • Crisis Management Plan (CMP)
    • Crisis Management Team (CMT)
    • The spokesperson’s role
  • Crisis event phase
    • Initial response
    • Reputation repair
  • Post crisis phase
    • Lessons learned
    • Follow up with communication
• Crisis communication and media

• • Media and communication
  • Media as a partner in crisis response
  • Social media and crisis communication
  • Social media as a beneficial tool or a challenge
  • Dynamic use of social media in crisis communication
• Dimensions of crisis communication management
  • Standard operating decisions dimension
  • Victims management dimension
  • Trust and credibility dimension
  • Behavior dimension
  • Professional expectations dimension
  • Ethical dimension
  • Lessons learned
• How to measure your results in a crisis
  • Measuring outputs
  • Measuring impact
  • Measuring outcomes
  • Steps for a measurement program
    • Defining your objectives
    • Defining your audience
    • Defining your criteria and benchmarks
    • Deciding upon your timing, budget and measurements tools
    • Analyzing results for conclusions and recommendations

Course Target

This course is recommended for senior PR managers and officials, communications directors and officials, agency account directors, government communications managers or directors and officials.